Wire grid furniture frame



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WIRE GRID FURNITURE FRAME Original Filed Nov. 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ti W INVENTOR. (4/4 gs/v M rwe BYWM United States Patent 3,226,161 WIRE GRID FURNITURE FRAME Warren Platner, North Haven, Conn., assignor to Knoll Associates, Inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Continuation of application Ser. No. 235,688, Nov. 6, 1962. This application Oct. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 407,613 Claims. (Cl. 297-449) This application is a continuation of my co-pending application Serial No. 235,688, filed November 6, 1962, now abandoned.

This invention relates generally to furniture structures, and more particularly to self-sufficient and self-supporting wire grid furniture frames which lend themselves to a variety of forms.

The fabrication of furniture articles such as chairs, sofas and tables by means of interwoven or interconnected stems, rods or wires, have been known for many years. Thus, wickerwork furniture is constructed from rattan canes which are braided and cut to the desired contours. The resultant structure is completed by the addition of cushions, pads or table tops, depending on the nature of the article. While relatively lightweight, such furniture is of poor structural strength and has a limited life.

In recent years, attempts have been made to use wire mesh and other cross wire arrangements to form fumiture frames. The purpose of such constructions has been to avoid bulky and cumbersome jointed wood frames heretofore employed for the same purpose, and also to open up new decorative possibilities. Wire frames are intended to impart a simplified, airy quality to the furniture article. But such intersecting metallic formations have heretofore been difficult and expensive to construct. Moreover, the basic wire grid of the prior art type is not selfsupporting but must be fitted within a metal frame or mounted on supporting legs.

Accordingly, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a basic wire grid network adapted to assume a variety of functional forms, each form of which constitutes a self-sufficient and self-supporting furniture frame.

A significant feature of the invention is that the grid network, when suitably shaped, is capable of acting not only as the base of the furniture article but also as the seat thereof, as well as the backing and arm rests, the several components being developed out of the wire curvatures and without the use of auxiliary attachments.

Briefly stated, these objects are accomplished by means of a wire grid formation in which the grid is constituted by a cycloid array of warp filaments or wires, the wires at either end being held in a continuous gunnel to form a grid network of high structural strength. The length of the individual wires in the grid and the curvature thereof, are chosen to impart to the structure the desired form and function, which form may be reinforced at stress points by suitable cross wires or loops.

Also an object of the invention is to provide a grid structure as above described, which may be manufactured inexpensively and efficiently on a mass scale.

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description thereof, to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grid structure for an armchair in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the armchair;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the armchair;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the armchair; and

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FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a grid structure for a table in accordance with the invention.

Reference now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown an armchair frame composed entirely of wires of any desired cross-sectional form, the chair elements being a base 10, a seat 11, a back rest 12, and side arms 13 and 14. All of the chair elements flow out of the wire configuration and are therefore integral and continuous with each other. In practice, the seat may be covered by a suitable cushion, and padding may also be provided for the back and the armrests, these components being held in place by strings or other expedients attachable to the wires, and being readily removable for cleaning purposes or replacement.

The grid structure is constituted by a cycloid array of warp filaments W, the filaments being in the form of wires or rods of any acceptable, low-cost metal such as aluminum, copper, brass, iron, etc., which may be readily bent or curved. The actual configuration of the cycloid array will depend on the article being made, and in some instances, as in the case of the table in FIG. 5, the crosssection of the array is circular. The lower extremities of the wires in the array thereof, are welded, soldered or otherwise secured to a bottom gunnel GB formed by a continuous loop of two parallel wires, the extremities of the warp wires being inserted between the gunnel loops and being connected thereto. The bottom gunnel is of a generally triangularconfiguration, with the corners thereof being rounded, the base of the triangle being at the front of the armchair and the apex thereof at the rear thereof.

The warp wires of the array extending upwardly from the bottom gunnel GB of base 10 converge to form a throat T having a configuration similar to that of the bottom gunnel, the wires then curving outwardly to define the area of seat 11. The rear wires in the array above the seat are curved upwardly to form the back 12. The side wires are also curved upwardly but are shorter than the rear wires, thereby forming the side arms 13 and 14, the wires then becoming progressively shorter toward the front portion of the chair. It will be seen that the contour of the chair is defined by varying the length and curvature of the warp wires.

All of the upper extremities of the warp wires are held in a continuous upper gunnel GU which is shaped to follow the chair contours. The gunnel formation is such as to engage the wires of different length, whereby the gunnel loop is formed of an arc GU connected to the wires forming the back rest and the side arms, and an arc GU connected to the wires forming the front portion of the seat.

To prevent displacement of the warp wires and to reinforce the structure at its points of greatest stress, Wire loops are provided in the woof direction which are con nected to the warp wires at their points of intersection. Thus loop L is placed adjacent the lower gunnel GB, a second loop L adjacent throat T, and a series of concentric loops L L L are installed to reinforce seat 11 as well as the side arms. Finally a woof wire W is attached below arc GU to strengthen the back rest. It will be seen that the distribution of the woof loops is such that they are concentrated in the regions of greatest curvature in the warp wires, and are omitted in those regions where the warp wires are substantially straight.

The phalanx of converging wires at the throat define a truncated cone of exceptionally high structural strength. and provides a highly stable base for the chair capable of withstanding unusual loads. It will be appreciated that this unitary structure is capable of many variations in forms, both as to the cross-sectional shape of the base and the contours of the structure thereabove. Thus the height and slope of the back rest may be changed, as well as the appearance of the side arms.

It is also possible. as shown in FIG. 5, to form the grid structure of the invention in a symmetrical form constituted by a base 15 formed of warp wires which converge to define a throat, and then diverge to define a conical undersupport 16 for a table surface 17. This arrangement is highly stable and yet light-weight. As will be evident, a wide variety of formations making use of the basic structure concept is possible, and while only a chair and a table have been disclosed, other furniture shapes may be readily fabricated by varying the length and curvature of the warp wires.

While there have been shown what are considered to be preferred forms of the invention, it will be appreciated that many changes and modifications may be made therein without, however, departing from the essential spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. A wire chair comprising a grid network constituted by a cycloid array of spaced wires extending in the warp direction, a first continuous gunnel interconnected to the lower extremities of said warp wires, and a second continuous gunnel interconnected to the upper extremities of said warp wires, said warp wires converging from said first gunnel to form a truncated conical base terminating in a throat, at which point the wires are curved outwardly and upwardly to form a seat and a back whose profiles are defined by said second gunnel, the first gunnel of said base resting on a floor surface to provide a stable support for said chair.

2. A wire chair comprising a grid network constituted by a cycloid array of spaced wires extending in the warp direction, a first continuous gunnel interconnected to the lower extremities of said warp Wires, and a second continuous gunnel interconnected to the upper extremities of said warp wires said warp Wires converging from saidfirst gunnel to form a truncated conical base terminating in a throat, at which point the wires are curved outwardly and upwardly to form a seat and a back whose profiles are defined by said second gunnel, the first gunnel of said base resting on a floor surface to provide a stable support for said chair, and a group of Woof wires attached at spaced positions to said warp wires to reinforce said chair.

3. A Wire chair as set forth in claim 2, wherein said woof wires include a plurality of loops attached to said warp wires in the region of said throat.

4. A wire table comprising a grid network constituted by a circular array of spaced wires extending in the warp direction, a first circular gunnel interconnected to the lower extremities of said warp wires, and a second circular gunnel interconnected to the upper extremities of said warp Wires, said warp wires converging from said first gunnel to form a truncated conical base terminating in a throat, at which point the wires are curved outwardly and upwardly to form a table support whose profile is defined by said second gunnel, the first gunnel of said base resting on a floor surface to provide a stable support for said table.

5. A wire furniture structure comprising a grid network constituted by a cycloid array of spaced wires extending in the warp direction, a first continuous gunnel interconnected to the lower extremities of said warp wires, and a second continuous gunnel interconnected to the upper extremities of said warp wires, said warp Wires converging from said first gunnel to form a truncated conical base resting on the first gunnel and terminating at the upper end in a throat, the wires being curved outwardly from the throat and terminating in said second gunnel, said second gunnel having a contour defining the profile of said furniture structure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,485,852 3/1924 Jarvis 108-92 2,708,476 5/1955 Eames 297457 2,749,974 6/1956 Finer 297-445 2,763,318 8/1956 Bertoia 297-450 2,938,575 5/1960 Molla 297446 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,198,603 12/1959 France.

References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 182,037 2/1958 Noguchi. D. 182,038 2/1958 Noguchi.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WIRE CHAIR COMPRISING A GRID NETWORK CONSTITUTED BY A CYCLOID ARRAY OF SPACED WIRES EXTENDING IN THE WARP DIRECTION, A FIRST CONTINUOUS GUNNEL INTERCONNECTED TO THE LOWER EXTREMITIES OF SAID WARP WIRES, AND A SECOND CONTINUOUS GUNNEL INTERCONNECTED TO THE UPPER EXTREMITIES OF SAID WARP WIRES, SAID WARP WIRES COMVERGING FROM SAID FIRST GUNNEL TO FORM A TRUNCATED CONICAL BASE TERMINATING IN A THROAT, AT WHICH POINT THE WIRES ARE CURVED OUTWARDLY AND UPWARDLY TO FORM A SEAT AND A BACK WHOSE PROFILES ARE DEFINED BY SAID SECOND GUNNEL, THE FIRST GUNNEL OF SAID BASE RESTING ON A FLOOR SURFACE TO PROVIDE A STABLE SUPPORT FOR SAID CHAIR. 